Microsoft announced it has completed its acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services business. The acquisition has been approved by Nokia shareholders and by governmental regulatory agencies around the world. The completion of the acquisition marks the first step in bringing these two organizations together as one team.
Nokia’s mobile era has now officially come to an end. One day, books will be written about the rise and fall of one of the greatest mobile technology companies of all time – one that played an instrumental role in the development and spread of the mobile phone, and the one company that put a phone in every corner of the world, in every person’s hands – whether they were rich or poor. This is a sad day.
On a positive (?) note, Stephen Elop has stated that Microsoft will continue to support Asha and Nokia X, but only time will tell what “support” exactly means.
And we are committed to continuing our support for feature phones, the Asha family, and the Nokia X family of devices, announced at the Mobile World Congress in February.
Do they even make real feature phones anymore? Before I got my first smartphone in 2010, I remember looking for a feature phone… one with a monochrome screen that would be easily readable in sun light, great battery life, bangin’ reception, and maybe the ability to SMS. Just something simple and solid.
But even back then, it seemed like it was hard to find anything without a web browser and a bunch of other crap I didn’t need in a feature phone. Still would like to have one as a backup.
Oh yes, the ever elusive non-feature feature phone…
Well, they used to call them dumb phones, but now they’re ‘feature phones’.
No, feature phones are the ones with a web browser, mail app, music player, etc., but no or limited installable applications. Like the original iPhone before the app store.
Dumb phones are the ones without even a proper web browser (although some let you browse WAP). They’re still for sale. (Source: bought one for my mother a couple of weeks ago when her Lumia 920 needed repairs. Cost a whopping €28, sim free.)
No, they used to call them “cell phones”.
Only in the US. They’re all still called ‘Mobile Phones’ in Australia.
There will always be people in denial. When mobile phones came out people was “no, no i don’t want one of those mobile phones, If I want to call someone I´ll just use a public phone or something like that”
Then I still remember when people would say “no, no i don’t want one of those phones with camera and games that play mp3, I just want one with a simple screen and at much SMS”.
Now they just say “no, no I don’t want one of those phones with internet, and apps, I just want to listen to music and take pictures”
Same as they said “I don’t want one of those tablets I have my computer”.
Being in denial of new technology will be always as trendy as purchasing it
See, i have two mobile phones: a personal, and one for work.
I’m fine with the idea of recharging my own phone every 9 hours, have a 5″ heavy behemoth filling my pocket, full touch, all with these colorful indicator lights blinking all the time, a wonderful rear camera, a front camera…
But i’m not fine with the idea of doing such things with my work phone. For this, i just want a small as possible, discrete, with a battery that last for a week, physical keys with just numbers, rugged enough to survive being tossed on a wall, great signal reception and decent call quality.
Sometimes a phone that just make calls is the best option.
My experience with personal and work phones is pretty different.
If I need a longer battery for my phone, that would be for personal use, not for work use. At work, I can plug it every morning on my computer. When I’m on vacation and traveling, that’s another story…
I terminated my personal phone contract many years ago. Carrying 2 phones was twice the care/pain for the same benefit. Of course I have a stable job, and my company has a very liberal phone usage policy (none), and I’m virtually the only person who gets to monitor our phones’ use, so I get none of the drawbacks of using a work phone for personal use.
Also my work and only phone is a better phone (SGS3) than I would probably have wished/bought for myself (or at least it’s been ever since it’s been running CM).
There is one great drawback, IMO: it blurry the line between personal and professional lives.
I turn off my work phone soon as my journey finishes, unless i really need (that means, ordered to keep) it on (and paid for it, preferable).
And with smartphones this is made even worse, with tons of work mails and needless work related IMs bombarding you in your dinner time with family.
That last one doesn’t follow. I don’t use a tablet because 90% of my mobile computing I can’t do on my phone requires either a good keyboard or a proper desktop browser. 5.x” phablets and 11″ netbooks are the sweet spot for me.
And there will always be people who know what they actually want/need.
Don’t mistake them for the people who pretends to know what other people want/need.
“I don’t need a camera in my phone.” vs. “Who would ever need a camera in their phone? What a stupid idea!”
I don’t want a tablet because my phone + laptop is all I need. I can see how other people would benefit from having a tablet though.
Sounds like you need a Jitterbug!
http://www.greatcall.com/Jitterbug/
$80????? This is a cheap phone: http://www.tesco.com/direct/samsung-e1200-black/786-3368.prd .. it’s £15 SIM free (and a SIM is £1 plus whatever credit you top it up to.)
If you look at this page, there are loads, including basic smart phones, under $80 equivalent.
http://www.tesco.com/direct/technology-gaming/sim-free-phones/cat15…
And this is just one Supermarket (Tesco is like the UK version Walmart, though ASDA is owned by the Walmart group, so probably not exactly.)
I guess I didn’t make it obvious that I was joking. You’ve gone out of your way to make the point I was making in jest.
Protip:
Never suggest that phone to anyone. Even, especially, the target demographic. They do not respond well to the idea that they are the target demographic.
That’s the joke.
If it can be useful for anyone: There are phones like the Samsung Keystone.
And e.g. the Samsung Keystone phones are made and sold nowadays, I wanted to add 🙂
Edited 2014-04-26 08:07 UTC
Get a Samsung Keystone. They cost about $25.
http://www.samsung.com/hk_en/consumer/mobile/mobile-phones/other-ph…
There are still a good number of companies/gov depts around the world that won’t let visitors bring a phone with a camera past the security goons.
A dumb phone is the solution here.
In my case it is the otherway round from a previous poster. My company gives me an iPhone so that I can use email etc on the move. Yes I know many android models will do just as well but it is the company policy ok!
My own phone is a Dumb Phone. An aged Nokia 6310i. I have another Nokia to use when that dies. After that? Well I won’t care because I’ll be retired and can choose a device that suits my needs then.
I do get a kick when my grandkids realize my phone does not do Twitter, Facebook etc. It used to be ‘get with it granddad’. Now the eldest isn’t so sure about the merits of being able to do twitter etc after one of her friends killed herself over some frankly obscene comments posted on social media about her and a supposed relationship with a teacher.
Not all tech progress is a step forward in human terms.
Nokia released more intuitive products in the end than the last 5 years. I have the Nokia 2520 and 1020, the only two gadgets that I really only use right night. I have a MacBook, ChromeBook, Android tablet and a PC but my two Nokia’s as so good that I have no need for anything else.
I used nothing but Nokia Communicators for the longest time. Even when the iPhone was released I stuck with a Communicator. The 9300 was such a fantastic phone that I felt it’s missing presence for years even after I finally went with a Blackberry. Though my Motorola Droid was also a great phone, still waiting for a decent Clamshell to arise from the ashes of what once was.
This shadows closely what I think. Plenty of people liked Nokia’s hardware. I made a choice of two of their latest (I guess, last) myself – in spite of owning iOS/android because for me, in 2014 they’re actually excellent. But for a long time they were unable to sell an excellent system, because of windows phone.
And it’s only recently WP hasn’t been a retrograde choice at the high end. I’d say Microsoft’s too-slow progress claimed Nokia, rather than itself as it’s greatest victim. For what reason they enslaved themselves to WP when it was not a realistic competitor is beyond my understanding because despite anything else, they couldn’t compete except on price.
It’s just sad that as soon as WP is becoming really interesting Nokia quit.
Elop the trojan did his job despite all his claims that he wasn’t a trojan. He was recalled. Now one of the best cell phone makers is pretty much gone. I hope he has to answer for this. Did anyone not see this coming?
Thom, can you write a longform about Symbian (like the PalmOS longform you wrote), as a farewell to Nokia?
PS: Yes, I know Nokia got full ownership of Symbian only recently, but it would still be a nice farewell.
Edited 2014-04-26 15:37 UTC
I’d love to see Thom write an article on the topic too, but I can appreciate how much effort must be involved.
In the meantime, you might find the following very detailed articles interesting from the Register.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/11/23/symbian_history_part_one_da…
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/11/29/symbian_history_part_two_ui…
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/21/nokia_hildon_the_great_lost…
From the late nineties till the N8 I always had a Nokia.
Goodbye Nokia, you’ll be sorely missed.
Elop also said that the Nokia N9 would have support for a full two years…. but then it was pretty much abandoned after about 8 months after release. Good thing it has an awesome community around it.
Nokia company started in 1865. It is a shame they let this happen to themselves.
Edited 2014-04-28 18:11 UTC
And in those 149 years Nokia changed its area of focus quite a few times …so what happens now is just another cycle for them.
But it’s still a mobile technology company, its mobile era hasn’t come to an end – Nokia Siemens Networks deals with backbone of mobile tech.